Bags, Totes, et al.,

Bags, purses, totes, clutch, any other, in any material you name, I have it. But it was never enough. I had to make one on my own. Thus started my tryst with crocheting bags. So when I went to Walmart one day I chanced upon this flier for a string bag. The string bag was to be made using crafty cotton by Yarns Brunswick. So I picked up a couple of colors and in a couple of sittings finished the bag. I was so excited by the final look of the bag, that one day I even took it out for shopping. Wonder of wonders, I was stopped by two ladies in Costco, who asked me where I got the bag. Needless to say I was pleased as punch and told them it was my first effort at crocheting a bag and that I got the simplest pattern from a flier. After several oohs and aahs over it and other crochet related discussions I left them making up my mind to make a few more. But after this particular pattern, the bags which I made were all my own versions of sling bags and were all gifted away during Navratri to bagaholics like me. 

Recently when I was checking my inventory of bags, I was shocked to find that I just have two finished bags and one purse in progress. My other work in queue is the now famous Haekel beutel bag, which I have set my sights on.

My other finished tote is taken from a pattern from Crochet World. It is actually a back pack which I decided to overlook and made it into a sling bag using worsted weight yarn.

The reason for my dwindling collection of bags is that friends and relatives like my bags more than I do. Otherwise would I have gifted all those bags I made.  

There is also a nagging doubt after finishing a bag project if it was up to the mark, whether it puckers here or there, if the color is right after all…. it never ends. Also, like the cook who likes to tweak recipes to suit her taste, I have to tweak a pattern here or there which may be the reason behind my never achieving complete satisfaction over the bag I make.:) And so it leaves me with “Should I follow a pattern to the T?” Please let me know.

Afghans and Shawls

The number of Afghans I have made is just four. All the four were made with donations in mind. Thanks to Mary Cahill I donated two Granny square afghans to the charity, the group members were donating. The other two were single colored and simple patterned afghans favored by beginners, that I donated to a local charity on my own.

While talking to a friend about how I was planning to make an afghan as I had gifted and didn’t have any for myself, my five year-old who happened to overhear this, told me that I should make for her like I had made for others. Seemed a good enough reason to start on one. So I made this and she snuggled into it while watching TV. It worked well for the Bangalore winter.

Now with the move to Chennai, I don’t know if I would ever be able to make an afghan anymore, considering just three seasons the city is famous for in a year…. Hot, hotter and hottest.

I would also like to show off this lovely summer shawl that I made with fingering yarn, gifted to me by a lady in my crochet group. This is the first wearable I made.

 

Looking at some of the afghans in the magazines and the ones made by friends in cyberdom, I have got this strong urge to make one more, at least a baby blanket. But this weather does put me off. I have half a mind to join an Afghan making group  but I am procrastinating on that. 

The shawl’s pattern has been taken from the magazine Old Time Crochet. Unfortunately, unless I take a vacation in cooler climes it has to languish in its place in the cupboard.

Doilies from Kolams…..

“Kolams” or Rangoli, are traditional designs drawn outside most homes in South India. People drew these Kolams with rice flour and it was considered auspicious to begin the day. These Kolams have evolved over the years and there are several patterns, and are drawn meticulously especially during festive occasions.

Recently, while rummaging in my stash for yarn, thread and other knick knacks I came upon a project which I had totally forgotten all these years. Couple of years ago when the designing bug had bit me, I had the bright idea of transforming rangolis or kolams into crocheted items, ie., doilies. So keeping that in mind I tried designing in filet and then several other methods but nothing gave me the satisfaction of making the perfect piece.

Some time ago when I had guests at home, one of them after seeing my doilies said that many years ago, the grandmas of the household had the pastime of making curtains which had Ganesha, Radha and Krishna and other Gods and Goddesses. She also told me that pattern books for these were available in Chennai. But I have searched high and low for these patterns and have come up with nothing. I have begun hounding my guest to get me the patterns now. Well, this incident gave me the idea to translate kolams into crochet. The effort of which you can see in this pattern.

I didn’t want to showcase this particular pattern of mine, since it is not perfect, but finally I decided to put it up in the fond hope somebody else might also come up with some innovative pattern using kolams as an inspiration. Well, after taking this out, I have one more work in progress….. another Kolam.